A Christmas Blessing for Widows in Africa

Blessed are you, dear widow, standing on the fringes, unseen by the world yet fully seen by the God who made you. Blessed are you when the weight of loss feels too much to bear, and yet you rise each morning, carrying your grief with courage and grace.

May you know the truth of these words this Christmas: “God steps in to help the down-and-out, rescues the wretched who have been thrown out with the trash” (Psalm 113:7, MSG). May He step into your story and lift you up, reminding you that you are not forgotten.

Blessed are you, whose tears water the dry ground of sorrow. For the Lord, your Shepherd, walks beside you in the valley, holding you close, even when the road feels unbearably lonely. He whispers, “I am your safe place. I will strengthen you and be your hero and cause you to stand firm” (Isaiah 41:10, TPT).

May this Christmas bring glimpses of joy, no matter how small—a child’s laughter, a warm meal, a word of encouragement from a friend. May these be signs of Emmanuel, God with us, who is always near, always loving, always providing.

Blessed are you who continue to hope, even when it feels impossible. For the God who watches over the sparrows watches over you, and His love never fails. “He will bring justice to those who have been wronged. He will heal the brokenhearted and bandage their wounds” (Psalm 147:3, TPT).

May this season remind you that you are deeply loved, wholly valued, and forever cherished by the One who sees you and calls you by name. And may His peace, the kind that surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

We are praying for each one of you this Christmas season. We know it isn’t easy, but we are sure God is in the valley with you. You are dearly loved.

Blessings this Christmas season,

The Pamoja Love Crew

In many parts of Africa, a widow is pushed to the very fringes of society. She becomes an outcast, unseen and unheard, her grief multiplied by rejection and blame. Each tribe has its own traditions, but the reality is the same: when her husband dies, so does her place in the world.

Many widows are considered cursed, accused of being the cause of their husband’s death—even if it was from disease or a tragic accident. This belief completely isolates her, making her untouchable, even to her closest friends. To be accepted into the fold again, she may be forced into rituals that strip away her dignity. And if she survives that, she can be “inherited” by another man, who takes her home, her possessions, and whatever else he wants, with no obligation to care for her. Her voice is silenced. Her worth is diminished. She is left to fight for her family on her own.

It’s hard to wrap my mind around it all, even now, as I sit in Tanzania, walking alongside Jacinta—our partner, very close friend, and fellow widow. Earlier this year, Jacinta’s life was shattered when her husband, John, died in a terrible accident. She’s carrying unimaginable grief, yet here she is, leading this year’s Widow’s Christmas Food Blessing with a strength I can only describe as God-given.

Last year, God stirred my heart to be here for this. His message was simple but piercing: You never know how long you have. I couldn’t have imagined what that would mean. I didn’t know John would suddenly be gone. I didn’t know that, at his funeral, a government official would stand in front of hundreds of widows and announce, “Your Christmas blessing is now gone.” And I didn’t know that Jacinta and I—two widows—would be here together, determined to remind other women walking this hard road that they are not forgotten.

This Christmas Food Blessing is about so much more than food. It’s a voice of hope to women who feel unseen and cast aside. Each basket is a tangible reminder that they matter, that God sees them and cares for them. It’s a chance to say, “You are not forgotten. You are loved.”

Jacinta and I are pressing forward, walking together to make sure these widows know they’re not alone. And we can’t do it without you. This year, we have a $10,000 match, which means every dollar you give will go twice as far. Together, we can remind these women that even on the hardest days, God’s love hasn’t left them—and it never will.

If you’ve ever wondered how to bring hope to someone who feels invisible, this is it. A simple food basket, given in love, can make HOPE loud to a widow in the darkest season of her life. (Make sure to watch the quick video below) Will you join us in being that voice of hope this Christmas? Let’s show these incredible women that they are not forgotten—that God sees them, and so do we.

In this Together,

Kimber Ryan

Founder + Director

Give a basket to a widow

Widows Food Blessing in Kibera Slum, Western Kenya, Maasailand, Tanzania.

There was a day she was called to go, to see, to experience and to do. She was headed to Tanzania with a team from the Pacific Northwest. They would be spending two plus weeks in this beautiful land brimming with opportunity to love and serve, working with local partners, reaching out to those who were experiencing deep pain and hardship. Lois understood pain and hardship, she was a widow. She had experienced the pain of loss and she had much love to offer.

As she connected with people walking across the rich soil of the village and billowing through the dusty ground of Maasailand her heart was being deeply impacted. Heartstrings were developing, strings that would hold the memories tight to her heart over a decade later.

A little over ten years later Lois would hear of another heartbreaking story of a widow from her friends, the local leaders that she had worked with earlier in Tanzania. They shared the following: “She is called Ruth, her husband died 5 years ago, when she was with child. She has four children.” After the death of her husband there was the usual traditional option of being inherited by force, that his family was pressing her for, a family member could take her as his own, but Ruth refused. This was more than she could imagine, which forced her to remain living in a home that was falling apart and leaking. When Lois read this she knew the time is NOW, she needed to do something.

So what did she do? She joined the Widow’s Home Building Projects that the local partners run and funded a home for this family. The cost typically runs around $650 and that provides the basics for labor and the main structure, then the community comes together to help with the rest building the walls, etc.

Since the time of the home being built a neighbor to the widow was talking to our partners about the impact love in action makes. He said “ It’s not Jesus alone that raises people from death, we still have people on earth raising other people.” (Of course we recognize that he is saying Jesus is still using people to reach out in love and make a great impact in the life of another. To God be the glory! )

But for this kind of raising to happen it does take a willingness and action of people coming together. Lois still has more she would like to do, more love to share, would you like to be a part of this story?

The widow in this story still needs a concrete floor, which runs about $500, and furniture to house the home with practical items like a bed, a couch, table, etc. This runs around $400-750 depending on the family’s specific needs. Of course, there are many more widows and vulnerable families in need that you can help to build a safe shelter for, a home. Like Lois, we would LOVE to have you join us in our mission to make HOPE loud for those hurting in Tanzania and Kenya. There are a few ways to join the movement:

1. You can become a Pamoja Love Dream Team Member and create a project of your own to fundraise for.

2. you can join Lois in her mission to continue raising funds for Ruth’s home or the home of others in need. You will find the link below to donate.

If you have any questions, or are eager to become a Dream Team Member, you can shoot us an email at hello@pamoja.love

God Protects Us

A song of the stairway

I look up to the mountains and hills, longing for God’s help.

But then I realize that our true help and protection

is only from the Lord, our Creator who made the heavens and the earth.

He will guard and guide me, never letting me stumble or fall.

God is my keeper; he will never forget nor ignore me.

He will never slumber nor sleep; he is the Guardian-God for his people, Israel.

Yahweh himself will watch over you; he’s always at your side to shelter you safely in his presence.

He’s protecting you from all danger both day and night.

He will keep you from every form of evil or calamity as he continuously watches over you.

You will be guarded by God himself.

You will be safe when you leave your home, and safely you will return.

He will protect you now, and he’ll protect you forevermore!

PSALM 121 The Passion Translation

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